I did not set out to start a nonprofit. I was simply driving home from U.S. Coast Guard Station Miami with a couple of care packages in the passenger seat.
Earlier that day a Boys & Girls Club donated boxes filled with snacks, toiletries, and everyday essentials to our Chief’s Mess. As a chief at the time I grabbed a few with the idea of handing them to some junior folks and bringing one home.
On the way back to Lauderhill I saw a man on the corner holding a sign. Like many people I have had that moment of hesitation. If I hand over cash will it really help. That day was different. I reached over took one of the boxes and handed it to him through the window.
His face lit up. Not a polite smile. Real relief. Real joy.
A few blocks later I saw another person in need. I stopped again and passed along a second box. Same reaction. Same spark. By the time I pulled into my neighborhood I knew exactly what I would do the next day.
I went back and picked up more boxes and loaded them into the back of my car. I made a simple commitment. Any time I saw someone who looked like they could use a hand I would stop and offer a box. Every time the response was the same. Gratitude. Dignity. A small but meaningful lift in someone’s day.
That experience changed me and it clarified a problem I had wrestled with for years. We want to help and we also worry that handing out cash will not meet the need. Essentials are different. When you give someone soap a toothbrush wipes socks snacks and water there is no guesswork. It meets an immediate need with no strings attached. It says I see you. You matter.
From there the idea grew. What if compassionate giving could be easy. What if anyone could keep a couple of boxes in a car and be ready to help with dignity at a moment’s notice. What if we could expand the model with food vouchers and other practical items that stretch beyond a single day.
Five years later that seed became Boxajoy.
What Boxajoy Does
Boxajoy is a veteran founded and community powered organization that assembles and delivers essential care packages to people experiencing homelessness to families of active duty service members and to transitioning veterans. We are built on a simple belief. Compassion works best when it is practical personal and consistent.
How that belief looks in practice
- We keep it simple. Each box focuses on everyday items people ask for most. Cleanliness and comfort matter when days are long outside. A small set of the right essentials can change how someone feels about facing the next few hours.
- We meet people where they are. Sometimes that means direct person to person delivery from volunteers. Sometimes it means partnering with local organizations shelters or outreach teams that already know the community well.
- We build trust. A box does not solve everything yet it opens a door. A short conversation. A shared moment. A chance to point someone to resources or to return with help again.
- We keep growing the model. We are working to add food vouchers and other practical aid so that a Boxajoy handoff meets the moment and connects people to what comes next.
Why the Name Boxajoy
That first day in Miami showed me something simple and true. A small box can carry more than items. It can carry hope. It can carry the feeling that someone cares enough to stop. It can bring Joy!
Join the Mission
Launching officially is our invitation for more people to share in that moment. If you want to help there are many ways to start. Sponsor a box. Pack boxes with your coworkers church school or unit. Keep one or two in your trunk and look for the opportunity that will find you.
From a few donated boxes in a Chief’s Mess to an organized effort to serve our neighbors Boxajoy proves that compassion scales. One box at a time. One smile at a time. With your help one community at a time.